What is Mediating Technologies

The objective of this article is to categorize problems of developing collective meaning in e-collaborating groups, and to develop a theoretical analysis of these cases. We draw on a variety of qualitative studies from the areas of human factors, information systems, and organization studies that all focus on e-collaborating groups having difficulty to develop collective meaning. The article distinguishes problems of collective meaning in terms of expression and reflexivity. Next, an evolutionary perspective is developed that is used for analyzing these two categories. The article concludes with future trends relevant for academics and practitioners working in this area.